Help and FAQs for Selfiebot Operation

Setup and Teardown

Pssst! Are you looking for help troubleshooting? Don’t worry, click here.

The purpose of this document is to specify in detail the steps required to setup and tear-down the SelfieBot robot.

* Note: It’s possible to prepare the robot entirely before it’s wheeled into the venue- if that’s possible this a preferable approach. If not then prepare it after wheeling it in, but be aware that this is less desirable. Moving the robot under battery power will drain it, so if that’s a concern then it’s ok to prepare, test, and then power it down to wheel it in manually. Then all that needs to be done is power on the motors and printer and you should be good to go.

Setup

Checklist of Parts

You should have a printer in a road case.

You should have a light ring and an iPad/camera holder

You should have an iPad.

You should have a Sony camera.

And of course, the robot itself

Instructions

Remove the front shell- grasp the shell at the top with both hands, placing your thumbs over the wooden top piece. This will give you the leverage to remove the shell. It is held in place with powerful magnets so it will be challenging to remove but once its clear it will come away easily. Watch your fingers as the shell moves past the aluminium shell.

You should see something like this. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look exactly the same

Inside there should be the following items:

This is the router. It should be attached with Velcro to the upper part of the robot and be connected to the robot by at least one cable (Ethernet). I may also possibly plugged into power via USB C.

This is the Raspberry Pi. It should be stuck in place with Velcro and connected to the robot by two cables. More on that below.

This is the Auriga. It should be attached to the robot via Velcro to the robot and connected by two cables (in ports 1 and 5). The white arrow in this picture points to the power button.

Placing the Light Ring on the Robot

Make sure the inverter is off because if it is on, the light ring power cable will be live (12V) and will spark against the aluminium neck, frightening you and damaging the battery.

Pass the light ring power cord, camera usb cord and audio cord (if required) through the underside of the light ring.collar. Then pass the collar over the square neck piece, being careful not to pinch any cables, and making sure that the light ring faces the correct direction.

Connect the light ring power cord.

Installing the iPad

Slip the iPad into the 3D printed holder or else attach it using the provided Velcro strips/dots, whichever method is appropriate for your iPad.

Finally, plug the audio cable into the iPad.

Installing the Camera

Plug the USB camera cable you passed through the light ring collar is plugged into the camera’s USB port.

Click the camera’s ‘shoe’ into the camera holder next to the iPad (pic)

Ensure the camera’s USB port is facing up.

Adjust the angle of the camera if necessary to match that of the iPad.

Ensure the camera is in AUTO mode.

Camera should be in AUTO mode.

Turn on the camera.

This is the power button, in case ‘ON/OFF’ wasn’t clear.

Loading In

Before moving the robot into the venue, check the following:

The inverter switch is OFF. If you hear the inverter make a noise when you push the robot check the switch is OFF.

The power strip switch is OFF.

The Raspberry Pi is secure inside the robot.

The router is secure via velcro to the frame.

Replace the shell before wheeling the robot into the venue. Wherever possible do not remove the shell and reveal ‘behind the curtain’.

The robot may be wheeled into the venue without power by slowly pushing it. Grab it by the ‘neck’ and this will also you to steer it. Be careful of transitioning between spaces- e.g over bumps and in-between smooth carpet and floors. Push it slowly as it has a fair amount of inertia once it gets moving.

The printer may be wheeled in using its case and handle.

The battery may be carried in by the handle.

Pro Tip: If you have a clear smooth run into the venue, you can perform the setup before wheeling the robot in. That way, the robot is ready to use as soon as you arrive. It’s also wise to do this ‘back of house’ because if you encounter any issues you are able to solve them outside the scrutiny of clients and punters.

Setup

Power Preparation

Ensure the inverter is OFF.

Slide the battery into the lower bay.

Slide the printer into the upper bay. Connect it to the USB and power cables provided for it inside the robot.

7. Switch on the iPad and launch the SelfieBot app. Don’t test it just yet.

8. Make sure the printer is off.

Ensuring the printer is off before starting the inverter is a prudent step.

9. Turn on the Inverter and then the power board.

10. Test the light ring is working by turning it to its lowest setting

Testing the Software

Launch the Selfiebot iPad app if you haven’t already. Use your phone to connect to selfiebot.local/remote. If you’re using an Android device you’ll need to connect to the IP address of the Raspberry Pi- it should be 192.168.1.111/remote.

Once you go to selfie.local/remote you should see the remote control page. (pic)

Test the motors are working by driving the robot forward for a short period of time

Test the robot can turn by using the rotation buttons.

Test the robot can say phrases.

Press the camera button - the SLR camera should click (and the lens should be extended)

Preparing the Printer (need pics for this)

Ensure the printer is off.

Reach underneath the printer and unlatch the sliding tray.

Slide the tray out and locate the blue release lever on the left. Use it to access the paper off-cut tray and empty out any offcuts. Also check there are no offcuts in the printer.

Slide the ribbon media tray out and check there are no jams or other irregularities.

Slide the ribbon media tray back in and replace the paper offcuts tray. Close the sliding tray.

Turn on the printer.

Testing the Experience (Need Pics)

Turn the light ring on (optional)

Wake the iPad if it’s not on already. Launch the selfiebot app if it’s not running already.

Select the event using the small - symbol at the bottom left of the iPad screen

Quit the app by double pressing the home button and swiping up on it

Relaunch the app.

Use the app to take a photo- tap to continue, take my photo now, etc.

Ensure the correct branding appears on the image on the iPad

Email or SMS the photo to yourself.

Print the photo (It takes 17 seconds after you tap ‘print’)

Check that the correct branding appears on the print.

Verify that you were sent the photo. Do another test (no need to print) and use the other deliver method (for e.g. SMS if you used email the first time)

Loading Out

You’ll find that loading out takes a lot less time than loading in.

Turn off the light ring

Turn off the iPad and remove it from the holder.

Turn off the camera, unplug it from the USB cable and remove it from the holder.

Remove the front shell.

Switch off the router by pressing the power button once to show the display and then pressing and holding the power button until you see ‘shutting down’ - this takes longer than you might expect.

Switch off the printer.

Switch off the power board if it has a switch.

Switch off the inverter.

Unplug the battery.

Remove the printer and unplug its power and USB connections.

Remove the paper offcuts from the tray as mentioned in the setup step.

If needed, make a note of how much media is left- paper and ribbon.

Pack the printer into the case.

Remove the battery.

Replace the front shell.

Remove the camera from the servo mount.

Unplug the light ring power.

Remove the light ring and servo mount.

Place them in their bag.

Convey the robot, printer, batter(ies) and bag to your transport.

Extra Considerations (TODO)

Charging Batteries

TroubleShooting

Here are the things you should always check:

Is the RaspberryPi connected to the router with the ethernet cable?

Is the router on?

Are the iPad and your mobile device connected to the router's wi-fi network?

Are you able to see

http://selfiebot.local

on your mobile that's connected to the router? (It should display the printers user interface)

If not, have you set the iPad's Selfiebot setting's IP setting to the IP of the Raspberry Pi?

Is the Raspberry Pi's light flashing in a regular repeating pattern? If so, it is unable to contact the Balena servers. Usually this is because it can't connect ot the Internet.

Remote Control page doesn't load

Cause(s)

Your mobile device is not on the same network as the Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is not plugged into the router

The Router is not switched on

Remedies

Ensure you are connected wirelessly to the router

Double-check the Ethernet connection from the Pi to the router

Check the router has enough charge and switch it on. Plug it into a charger or battery pack if required

iPad app shows a red disc at the lower right of the screen- this means the iPad is unable to connect to the Raspberry Pi

Cause(s)

The iPad is not connected wirelessly to the router

The router is not connected via Ethernet to the router

Remedies

Check the iPad's wireless settings and ensure it is connected to the router's wireless network

Double-check the Ethernet connection from the Pi to the router

Remote Control page plays different voice pieces than the selected event

Symptom(s)

Remote Control page plays different voice pieces than the selected event